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Deer Zone 2 · Northern Lower Peninsula
Roscommon County Hunting
Roscommon County sits in the Lower Peninsula, deer Zone 2. This guide covers its 1 deer unit, universal antlerless limits, CWD and baiting status, bear and turkey units, public land with acres and the 2026-27 season table.
Photo: Joetography LLC (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Out in the northern Lower Peninsula, Roscommon County spreads across 520 square miles around Roscommon. The 2024 population stood near 23,932, up 2.1% on 2020. The whole county is Zone 2 for deer, with 1 DMU drawn over it. Hunters here line up at the Roscommon customer service counter for DNR business. Conservation officers work it from Law Enforcement District 5. 14 public properties on the state and federal lists sit at least partly inside the line, 1 state game area among them.
Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates (population), DNR region from the DNR wildlife region layer, deer zones from the DNR zone layer, law enforcement districts from the DNR district layer, customer service centers from the DNR contact page. Checked October 22, 2026.
Roscommon County season dates for 2026-27
24 species and 43 dated segments apply in Roscommon County; the last column checks each against today.
| Quarry | Season | Zone | From | To | Status today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White-tailed deer | Early antlerless firearm | Listed antlerless county | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Liberty Hunt | Statewide | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 13, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery, early | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Independence Hunt | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Regular firearm | Statewide | Nov 15, 2026 | Nov 30, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Archery, late | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| White-tailed deer | December firearm | Lower Peninsula | Dec 4, 2026 | Dec 6, 2026 | |
| White-tailed deer | Late antlerless firearm | Listed antlerless county | Dec 7, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (firearm/bait/dogs) | Red Oak BMU | Sep 12, 2026 | Sep 22, 2026 | |
| Black bear | Hunt period 1 (archery only) | Red Oak BMU | Oct 2, 2026 | Oct 8, 2026 | |
| Elk | Hunt period 1 | Elk unit X | Sep 23, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 | |
| Elk | Hunt period 2 | Elk unit X | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 | |
| Wild turkey | Fall | Fall unit I | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Fall first part | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Ruffed grouse | Fall second part | Statewide | Dec 1, 2026 | Jan 1, 2027 | |
| Woodcock | Fall | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Oct 29, 2026 | |
| Pheasant | Fall | Zone 2 | Oct 20, 2026 | Nov 14, 2026 | |
| Fox and gray squirrel | Private-land season | Statewide | Apr 1, 2026 | Sep 14, 2026 | |
| Fox and gray squirrel | Regular | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Cottontail | Private-land season | Statewide | Apr 1, 2026 | Sep 14, 2026 | |
| Cottontail | Regular | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Snowshoe hare | Regular | Statewide | Sep 15, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Crow | Summer | Statewide | Aug 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Crow | Late winter | Statewide | Feb 1, 2027 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Teal | Early teal | Statewide | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 1 | Middle Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Nov 29, 2026 | |
| Ducks | Split 2 | Middle Zone | Dec 12, 2026 | Dec 13, 2026 | |
| Waterfowl | Veterans days | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Waterfowl | Youth weekend | Statewide | Sep 19, 2026 | Sep 20, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 1 | Middle Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Dark geese | Dark goose part 2 | Middle Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Dec 18, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 1 | Middle Zone | Sep 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Light geese | Light goose part 2 | Middle Zone | Oct 3, 2026 | Dec 18, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Management season | Statewide | Apr 1, 2026 | Sep 30, 2026 | |
| Raccoon | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 1, 2026 | Mar 31, 2027 | |
| Red and gray fox | Hunting | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Mar 1, 2027 | |
| Coyote | Management season | Statewide | Mar 2, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 | |
| Coyote | Regular hunting | Statewide | Oct 15, 2026 | Mar 1, 2027 | |
| Bobcat | Hunting | Bobcat Unit D | Jan 1, 2027 | Feb 1, 2027 | |
| Feral swine | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Opossum | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Skunk | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
| Woodchuck | Year-round | Statewide | Year-round | Year-round | Year-round |
From the Michigan Department of Natural Resources 2026 hunting regulation summaries (deer, bear, elk, turkey, small game, waterfowl and furbearer editions), checked October 22, 2026.
DMUs that overlap Roscommon County
Universal antlerless licenses ($20 each, 10 per hunter) count against a limit of 3 in Roscommon County. Early antlerless firearm runs Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026 in Roscommon County, and late antlerless follows Dec 7, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027. The 3-point antler restriction does not apply here; only the combo restricted tag needs 4 points.
| DMU | Called | Type | UAL limit | APR | 2025 reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DMU 072 | Roscommon county | County unit | 3 | Statewide only | 1,993 |
Firearm dates
Long guns and slugs from Nov 15 through Nov 30; the LP December hunt is Dec 4 to Dec 6, 2026.
Bows and crossbows
Two bow segments: Oct 1 to Nov 14, 2026, then Dec 1, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027.
Youth and disability hunts
Liberty Hunt Sep 12 to Sep 13, 2026, Independence Hunt Oct 15 to Oct 18, 2026.
Baiting and feeding
The Lower Peninsula ban on deer and elk baiting and feeding covers the county.
Deer unit index · Antlerless rules
Units from the Wildlife Conservation Order chapter XII and the county-to-unit list, use limits from the 2026 deer summary, early and late antlerless counties from the WCO list, antler rules from WCO 3.101l, baiting from the deer summary, reported harvest by unit from the DNR harvest report summary. Checked October 22, 2026.
Roscommon County public hunting land
The list holds every game area, flooding, park and refuge touching Roscommon County, 14 in all, largest first within each type. 187,985 acres of state forest lie inside the county (Gladwin Forest Management Unit and Roscommon Forest Management Unit).
- Research areas, 1 listedHoughton Lake State Wildlife Research Area (12,131 acres*)
- Floodings (SWMAs), 10 listedRobinson Creek Floodings Wildlife Management Area (2,572 acres), Wraco Lodge Lake Flooding State Wildlife Management Area (2,018 acres), Dead Stream Flooding Wildlife Management Area (1,024 acres*), Houghton Lake Flats South Flooding Wildlife Management Area (991 acres), Russell Lake / Lake St. Helen State Wildlife Management Area (949 acres), Bear Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area (942 acres), Houghton Lake Flats North Flooding Wildlife Management Area (838 acres), Denton Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area (805 acres), Townline Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area (662 acres*), Marsh Creek / Beaver Lake Flooding Wildlife Management Area (554 acres)
- State game areas, 1 listedBackus Creek State Game Area (4,379 acres)
- Grouse sites (GEMS) (1 here)Backus Creek Grouse Enhanced Management Site (GEMS) (4,339 acres)
- State parks (1 here)South Higgins Lake State Park (1,367 acres)
- State forest FMUsGladwin Forest Management Unit (17 acres in county), Roscommon Forest Management Unit (187,968 acres in county)
Neighbouring-county options: Gladwin Field Trial Area and Gladwin Wildlife Unit 4,749 acres, 13 miles out; North Higgins Lake State Park 166 acres, 14 miles out; Addis Creek Flooding Wildlife Management Area 438 acres, 19 miles out; Grass Lake Marsh Flooding Wildlife Management Area 968 acres, 19 miles out; Cannon Creek Flooding No.1 Wildlife Management Area 156 acres, 20 miles out.
Michigan land hub · All game areas · State forest system
Public land from the DNR wildlife property, park hunting-land and managed-lands layers and federal records; state forest acres from the DNR state forest lands (LOTS parcels); national forest acres from USFS land statistics; Commercial Forest acres from the DNR Commercial Forest program; HAP from the DNR HAP property list. Acres within 10 miles of the county seat are a GIS measure. Checked October 22, 2026.
Roscommon County antlered and antlerless harvest
The 2025 total for Roscommon County came to 1,993 deer, 48% of them antlerless. Across the four full years on file, 2022 was the high mark with 2,917 deer. 314 deer are in for 2026 to date, before the Nov. 15 opener.
| Year | Antlered | Does and fawns | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (so far) | 160 | 154 | 314 |
| 2025 | 1,043 | 950 | 1,993 |
| 2024 | 1,159 | 1,042 | 2,201 |
| 2023 | 1,091 | 922 | 2,013 |
| 2022 | 1,510 | 1,407 | 2,917 |
DNR Harvest Report Summary (reported deer by county, all seasons, read October 22, 2026; 2026 is in progress). Checked October 22, 2026.
Roscommon County: CWD and TB
Roscommon County has no confirmed CWD case in free-ranging deer. No county row exists for Roscommon County in the 2022-2026 testing data; its deer are counted with the rest of the state. Deer from Roscommon County are part of the 2026 TB survey. Deer donated through Hunters Feeding Michigan from Roscommon County need a bovine TB test.
Testing kits and drop boxes · LP bait ban, UP bait rules
CWD areas and county lists from the 2026 deer summary and the WCO; tests by county from the DNR CWD testing data (results current to 10/16/2026 for 2026); TB from the deer summary; donation testing from the Hunters Feeding Michigan county lists. Checked October 22, 2026.
Bear, turkey and bird units in Roscommon County
Bear drawing and harvest
Bear licenses for Roscommon County are drawn by unit: Red Oak. That unit registered 282 bears in 2025 (preliminary), unit-wide.
| BMU | Period | 2026 dates | Quota | Nonresident max | 2025 applicants | 2025 points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | 1 | Sept. 12–22 and Oct. 2–8 | 685 | 34 | 9,336 | 9–10 |
| Unit | Registered, 2024 | Registered, 2025* | Success rate 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Oak | 346 | 282 | 57% |
Wild turkey
For spring turkeys Roscommon County is unit NN; the 2026 hunts below are the latest published, and 2027 dates are not out yet. Fall turkey is unit I, Sep 15 to Nov 14, 2026, quota unlimited. Reported 2026 turkeys in Roscommon County: 139 spring, 7 fall to date. Survey estimates for fall 2025 in Roscommon County: 37 birds taken.
| Unit | Season 2026 | Quota | Hunt number |
|---|---|---|---|
| NN | April 18–May 1 | 18,000 | 0134 |
| Statewide | May 2–May 31 | Unlimited | 0234 |
Elk hunting
Elk range covers part of Roscommon County (unit X); licenses are drawn, 200 in 2026. These hunts produced 161 elk in 2025.
| Hunt period | Units | First day | Last day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunt period 1 | unit X | Sep 23, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
| Hunt period 2 | units H and X | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 |
| Hunt period 2 | units I and X | Dec 1, 2026 | Dec 15, 2026 |
Upland and waterfowl
Bear drawing by unit · Turkey unit details · Elk drawing
Bear units from the DNR bear unit layer; quotas, applicants and points from the 2026 bear summary; registrations from the same summary (2025 preliminary) and survey success from the DNR bear harvest reports; turkey hunts from the spring 2026 and fall 2026 summaries, reported turkeys from the turkey harvest report summary, fall 2025 survey from the DNR turkey report; elk from the elk summary and DNR elk report; bird units from the small game, waterfowl and furbearer summaries. Checked October 22, 2026.
Roscommon County legal hunting light
Ducks and geese stop at sunset and early teal and woodcock start at sunrise; these deer times are for big game and most small game.
| Date | Moment | Zone A hours | Zone B hours | Zone C hours | Zone D hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2026 | Archery opener | 6:59 a.m. to 7:46 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 7:52 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 7:58 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 8:04 p.m. |
| Oct 15, 2026 | Independence Hunt | 7:15 a.m. to 7:24 p.m. | 7:21 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. | 7:27 a.m. to 7:36 p.m. | 7:33 a.m. to 7:42 p.m. |
| Nov 15, 2026 | Firearm opener | 6:53 a.m. to 5:48 p.m. | 6:59 a.m. to 5:54 p.m. | 7:05 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | 7:11 a.m. to 6:06 p.m. |
| Nov 30, 2026 | Firearm close | 7:11 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 7:17 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 7:23 a.m. to 5:52 p.m. | 7:29 a.m. to 5:58 p.m. |
| Dec 5, 2026 | December hunts | 7:16 a.m. to 5:39 p.m. | 7:22 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. | 7:28 a.m. to 5:51 p.m. | 7:34 a.m. to 5:57 p.m. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | Late archery close | 7:31 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. | 7:37 a.m. to 5:46 p.m. | 7:43 a.m. to 5:52 p.m. | 7:49 a.m. to 5:58 p.m. |
Zone A times from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources deer hunting hours table, zone offsets from the DNR hunting hours map legend, checked October 22, 2026. Hunting hours for every zone.
Roscommon County town guides and adjacent counties
Roscommon County has 4 town guides, each with the public land within reach, nearby services and daily shooting hours.
- Roscommonseat · 990 residents (2024) · 114,926 public acres close by
- Houghton Lake116,869 public acres close by
- Prudenville111,047 public acres close by
- St. Helen129,779 public acres close by
Cross the Roscommon County line and you are in one of 7 Michigan counties.
Towns: Census 2024 Gazetteer and Vintage 2024 estimates; adjacency from the Census county adjacency file.
Roscommon County processors, taxidermists and shops
Listings with a Roscommon County address lead each group, and shops just over the line fill it out.
DNR and agency offices
Wildlife field offices keep short hours and share one DNR phone line; call first.
Meat processors
Taxidermy
Preserves and guides
Gun and bow shops
DNR customer service centers and field offices from the DNR contact page; processors from the Hunters Feeding Michigan list, DNR disease sample sites and directory listings; preserves from the DNR game bird preserve directory; shops from the DNR license agent map (license-only counters removed) and directories. Checked October 22, 2026; call ahead. All Michigan hunting services.
Burn bans and permits in Roscommon County
See the Michigan county list for Roscommon County today.
- Burn permit: Any time the ground is not snow-covered.
- Counties where DNR burn permits are not issued electronically (southern Lower Peninsula; local fire dept/government issues permits): Roscommon County is not on this list.
- Who sets a ban: (1) The DNR sets daily burn permit status by county and township ('No' = no open debris burning allowed).
- Warming fires: Campfires for cooking or recreation need no DNR permit.
Places to shoot in Roscommon County
The first six Roscommon County ranges are cards; any others are in the table.
Takes rifle, handgun, smallbore rimfire, archery, 3D archery
DNR range nearest the county: Supply Road Shooting Range, Grand Traverse County, 43 miles. Range page
Ranges from the DNR shooting page, the DNR range list and directory listings, checked October 22, 2026.
Events held in Roscommon County
2 upcoming events (BOW workshop and DU dinner), read October 22, 2026.
On the calendar
| Dates | Name | Place | Link | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 4, 2026 | Houghton Lake Ducks Unlimited Annual Banquet / DU dinner | Lakeside Conference Center in Houghton Lake (Roscommon Co.) | Buy tickets | Source |
| Jun 11–13, 2027 | Becoming an Outdoors Woman Summer Workshop 2027 / BOW workshop | RAM Center on Higgins Lake in Roscommon (Roscommon Co.) | Event details | Source |
Roscommon County hunting questions
How many DMUs touch Roscommon County?
1 unit: DMU 072.
How does a Roscommon County hunter give a deer to Hunters Feeding Michigan?
Take it tagged and reported to a participating processor; Klemmers Processing is the closest name we list.
How does Roscommon County rank for deer harvest?
56th of 83 counties in 2025 (1,993 deer).
Is there an antlerless quota for Roscommon County?
No per-unit quota; licenses sell over the counter and 3 may be used in the county.
Does the Lower Peninsula bait ban cover Roscommon County?
Yes. Every Lower Peninsula county is under it.
How many CWD deer has Michigan found?
389 confirmed since 2015, statewide.
What turkey unit is Roscommon County in?
Spring unit NN, fall unit I.
Which bear unit is Roscommon County in?
Red Oak, by the DNR bear unit layer.
How do I report a deer shot in Roscommon County?
Online or in the Hunt Fish app within 72 hours of recovery, before you hand it to anyone.
Which state game areas are in Roscommon County?
Backus Creek State Game Area.
Answers from the DNR 2026 regulation summaries, harvest reporting rules, MCL 324.40116, DNR harvest and CWD data and the sources cited above. Checked October 22, 2026.
Roscommon County trip checklist
DMU lines in Roscommon County follow roads and rivers as well as county borders, so confirm your unit on the DNR map before you buy licenses.
Sources: DNR 2026 hunting regulation summaries, Wildlife Conservation Order, township restrictions list, Michigan DNR hunting, Census and the agencies linked in each section. Checked October 22, 2026.
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